


Aphrodisiac

by incaseyoufic



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-05-29
Packaged: 2018-01-27 01:06:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1709414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incaseyoufic/pseuds/incaseyoufic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's something else in the wine that night, but whatever it was, Merlin is thankful for it bringing the three of them together. Pretty much a PWP, one-shot between Arthur/Gwen/Merlin, with a magical reveal thrown in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aphrodisiac

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any characters related to BBC's Merlin

Arthur glanced again at the bed, still in a state of awkward disbelief.

Still sleeping in his bed was his wife Guinevere. Normal enough yes, but lying beside her was his manservant Merlin. Both were very naked. And that was certainly  _not_ normal. Arthur had woken up in an equal state of undress. He had bolted out of the bed as soon as he'd become conscious enough to register that his naked groin had been snug with the other man's bare ass. The King had at best only a vague recollection of how it had all happened. As he sat in his chair, clad only in a pair of breeches, he tried to focus on the images, trying to prevent them from slipping away like sand through fingers. Perhaps Gwen and – he glanced at the bed again, wide eyed and tight lipped – Merlin could offer up more information, but as for now… he simply had to wait until they both woke. He hoped it would be soon. All he had for company were his confused and unhelpful thoughts.

Strangely though, Arthur felt no anger about how the morning had started. If he really thought about it, he felt a twinge of regret that he could only remember bits and pieces from their night's activities, merely vague glimpses of brown and pale skin. The two people he cared for most in the world were in his bed, and they had all together obviously engaged in intense intimacy, if the markings on Merlin's neck were any indication. Arthur sincerely wanted to exactly know what had led up to this extremely unusual outcome. The only event he could truly remember in great detail was the feast the night before…

~~ Eight Hours Earlier ~~

It was the first feast celebrating the Spring Equinox since Arthur had become King of Camelot. It was both a sombre and celebratory affair, the people showing respect to both their past leader and current King. Food and drink were plentiful, supplied by the people of Camelot and supplemented by nearby allies. It was a celebration of the upcoming summer, the first under King Arthur's monarchy. For this one night at least, everyone could put aside their worries about sorcery and turbulence in the country side and just try to relax a bit.

Arthur certainly was attempting to forget, at least for one night, the nature of his father's death and how sorcery had repeatedly cast a negative flavour on his life. He was trying,  _really_  trying, to accept that not all sorcerers were evil people, just as not all warriors equipped with weapons were inherently evil. Optimism was difficult when people you loved had been taken away by the very thing demanding the optimism. He sighed, realizing where his thoughts were again heading.

His wife smiled and nudged his shoulder. "Arthur, stop it, I know where your mind is and I've told you, that won't help you enjoy the festivities." Her face turned soft and she leaned her head on his shoulder, peering up at him. "Enjoy and appreciate how strong your people are, even in the face of great tragedies."

Arthur smiled and pressed a kiss to her brown curls. "Yes of course you're right, my darling. I'll not let it happen again."

Gwen snorted in disbelief. "Well at least try."

"Indeed. Maybe some wine would help. Merlin!" Arthur called, peering around the hall. There were many people filling the grand hall of the castle, many bodies and in the mix Arthur could not immediately point out his trusted servant. Of course Arthur could just drink from the wine placed in front of him, but he felt like being petty and drinking from his private canteen reserved for the King only. Which meant that he required Merlin to actually bring it to him. "Where is that man?"

Gwen giggled and nudged him again. "Oh leave him alone. The poor man works far too hard." Her keen eyes easily sought the flash of red neckerchief out (Merlin had been allowed to come to the feast in his usual garb, thank God.) "And anyways, he's over there, talking to your guards."

Merlin was indeed conversing with some of Arthur's guards. The man he currently spoke with, Rowan, he had never truly liked. There had always been something a bit uncomfortable about him. Merlin wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he didn't trust the man. Disloyalty rested in the careful line of his eyes and though he tried to hide it, it was clear as day to Merlin. He had tried telling Arthur his concerns but they had fallen on stubborn ears. Even more suspicious had been that Merlin had had to collect the King's wine goblet from Rowan, instead of fetching it directly from the wine cellar himself. Hidden from Rowan's gaze Merlin had whispered a quiet spell to reveal if there was any poison in the wine (Merlin had spent many hours with Gaius developing the spell; they had all learned from past unpleasant experiences). Nothing had been revealed to Merlin. Still, he would be keeping an ever watchful eye on Rowan. Not that he was paranoid or anything. But still.

Just as Arthur was about to wave at the man, Merlin's laughing eyes caught his (for the hundredth time, Arthur ignored the pleasurable little flip his gut gave at those blues) and, nodding off to the guard, he approached the front table, bringing with him the goblet of wine.

"Nice of you to join us Merlin!" Arthur proclaimed with exaggerated joy, spreading his arms widely.

Gwen rolled her eyes and winked at Merlin. "Have a nice chat over there?"

Merlin shrugged, lightly frowning. "I suppose."

"What's wrong with one of my knights now, Merlin?"

"Nothing at all, sire. I would much rather be over here serving your royal pratness wine." He winked at Arthur, who glared fiercely, giving him a cheeky smile as he proceeded to fill their cups. "And I should say m'lady that you look absolutely stunning tonight."

Gwen blushed prettily and bowed her head to Merlin in thanks for both the compliment and the drink. "You look quite handsome yourself, Merlin." She took a sip of the wine.

"Why thank you, I do try." They laughed with each other, happy and high on the atmosphere. "Much better without that idiotic hat."

"Oh I quite agree."

"When you're  _quite_  finished flirting with my wife,  _Mer_ lin, you can go and… do whatever it is you want to do. I don't care," Arthur interrupted with a slight pout.

Merlin's eyes widened and his smile widened. "My Lord! Such privileges you bestow upon me! I fear I am not worthy!"

The Queen shook with laughter, wiping tears from her eyes. "You'd better scurry Merlin or else my dear husband will start throwing food at you."

Merlin laughed at the thunderous glint in his King's eyes, though he couldn't help but notice that he was trying to hide a smile, corners of his mouth twitching. "Yes alright, but not before I steal a goblet of wine. As you said my Lord, I am now free to pursue any avenue of entertainment."

And damnit all to hell, Arthur's imagination kicked in to high gear as he imagined what sorts of "avenues" Merlin could mean. He gulped down a huge sip of wine, refilling his cup before Merlin could "steal" some.

Surprised that he actually was allowed to, Merlin seized his chance and poured a cup of the wine for himself. He smiled, taking a sip, and hummed in contentment. "I'll just pop off now," he said, winking at them and disappearing into the crowd.

"Honestly," Arthur muttered. He sipped from his now filled goblet of wine, glad for the warm buzz of drink in his gut.

Beside him Gwen was still chuckling, her eyes bright as they followed Merlin's figure into the crowd. "He is quite the character," she reflected happily.

"Indeed," her husband agreed. It had been roughly ten years since Arthur had met Merlin. In that decade they had been through hell and back together, and all throughout it Merlin had stuck loyally close to his side. Arthur was extremely grateful to the man for all he did, and would hopefully continue to do. Though difficult in his younger days, the King could now freely admit to himself and select others that Merlin was his dearest friend. Merlin made him happy, as well as Gwen. He'd been stupidly jealous of Merlin's close relationship with his wife, then a maid, when they'd all met a decade ago, but now Arthur could appreciate that his bond with the man was deeper than any relationship he'd ever had.

Unfortunately sometimes Arthur had pined for an even deeper connection to his friend, but had always pushed those inappropriate thoughts away. He loved his wife dearly. The entire kingdom had appreciated just how deep that love ran when she had been embraced back by Arthur even after she'd been engaging in lustful sin with Sir Lancelot. Yes, Arthur was now happy enough with Gwen, both mentally and physically.

However…

The first time Merlin's image had floated into Arthur's sexual fantasies, about two years back, he had been unable to look the man in the eye for a week, so embarrassed he was. He had wanted to immediately blame it on some sort of enchantment, but could not lie so deeply to himself. Merlin was attractive, anyone could see that. He had the fullest lips Arthur had ever seen, and beautiful blue eyes. Yes he was gangly and awkward and uncoordinated, but that was precisely why Arthur was drawn to him. The men the King surrounded himself with were all bulky and physically strong, and so Arthur was bored of that body image. As well there had always been sometime unique about Merlin that he couldn't quite identify. After he had accepted that first mental sexual encounter with the man, Arthur had let his eyes and imagination wander. As far as he could tell, Merlin hadn't noticed any change in behaviour.

Arthur's private fantasies were now fully formed, sometimes including Merlin and Gwen together with him as a threesome, or just the pair of them while Arthur watched. And it was fine, indulging himself with these impossible dreams, because reality did not have to know. It was satisfying enough. Or so he told himself.

And, maybe it was that Arthur had let himself slip into this realm of self-reflection, or the fact that Gwen looked so ravishing beside him, or both, but Arthur was beginning to feel extremely warm and inappropriately aroused. He cleared his throat and took another sip of wine, displeased to discover his goblet was now empty.

He leaned over and breathed a kiss onto Gwen's ear lobe. She moaned quietly and shifted in her seat. A flush was set on her cheeks, making her coffee-coloured skin look delectable. "My darling, let us return to my chambers. The celebration will go on without us."

Gwen didn't even bother to argue. She could never deny Arthur when his voice sounded so husky in her ear. She shivered as she felt his strong, warm hand slip down her thigh, tantalizingly close to her most intimate place. Why she was suddenly so lustful she had no idea, but apparently Arthur was feeling the same way, and who was she to deny her loving husband?

Together they rose from the table. Arthur waved his hands down as some in the crowd turned to him, concern on their faces. "Please, continue the celebrations. The Queen and I are retiring for the evening." He rolled his eyes at the few knowing glances he received from his knights. Gwaine and Percival wolf-whistled and raised their goblets to him. Arthur glared at them, silently telling them to fuck off. Speaking of which…

Impatient to get out of the hall, weaving in an around the crowd seemed to take longer than was necessary. He was burning with the need to be  _inside_  of Gwen, who gripped his sweaty hand like a vice, and these people were just not moving  _fast enough_. The couple neared Merlin and without thinking Arthur grabbed the man's wrist.

"You're coming too," Arthur barked, tugging at the other man, who stumbled to keep up. Gwen said nothing, but Arthur saw a certain excitement in her eyes that made it suddenly more difficult to walk.

"Sire?" Merlin swallowed, throat suddenly dry. Gwen had shot him the hint of a predatory glance, and Arthur was looking much the same. Both their faces were flushed red, their body language indicating that they wanted – no, needed – to do what all married couples were entitled to do. He felt suddenly very warm and tugged at the loop of cloth around his neck. He wasn't sure why he was feeling this worked up – there was no precedent or reason for it. Maybe the wine…? No, Merlin thought, surely he was not that drunk. He'd only had one glass. Probably Arthur just wanted his help undressing and putting away his things and then surely Merlin would be banished from the room. Merlin ignored the disappointment he felt at this thought. It was not his place to even think about the King and Queen in bed together, much less with him involved.  _Wait, what?!_  Merlin gasped and swallowed again as he felt his cock twitch in his pants. Where the hell had  _that_  thought come from? Yes, he definitely had to be drunk.

Sounds of the party were muffled as the large oak doors closed shut behind them. Arthur nodded at the guards as he led his two companions away. His body was becoming increasingly aroused and dear God,  _why_  were his chambers so goddamn far away from the grand hall? Gwen giggled breathlessly beside him as he picked up their pace. Merlin drifted behind them, his eyebrows furrowed in what might have been confusion. His cheeks were tomato red and he seemed to be having trouble deciding something. Arthur didn't care what as long as he made it back with them to his room.  _But to do what exactly?_  Arthur ignored that thought. His stomach leaped in nervous excitement, his skin felt hot and he very much wanted to be rid of his clothing.  _Almost there…_

Arthur barked out an order to his two guards that no one should disturb them before slamming the oaken doors, ignoring their hasty replies.

Gwen gave a shout of laughter when Arthur swept her off her feet, carrying her bridal style to the large four-poster bed. He growled and swept her hair back, kissing any exposed skin he could find. "Damn these layered gowns," he said, impatiently tugging at the silk fabric covering her breasts.

Merlin shifted awkwardly, still standing closer to the door than the bed. He felt hot and uncomfortably aroused from just watching this extremely private and intimate moment between his King and his wife. It should have been wrong, should have made Merlin want to look away, but he just could not, and neither did he want to. But that was all he would do – just look. If Arthur would let him.

The warlock watched as Arthur bent down and whispered something in Gwen's ear. She gasped and looked up at him with wide eyes, which then glanced over at Merlin. Those brown eyes scanned his body, focusing for a second longer on his groin, then went back to meet Arthur's. Merlin was feeling increasingly nervous now. The pair on the bed seemed to agree on something and Arthur nodded. He kissed Gwen deeply, making her moan, a sound that went straight to both men's groins. Merlin now gave serious thought to leave them in privacy.

Arthur left the bed to stand in front of Merlin, about a foot of charged space between them. "Do your duty and help me undress," he ordered, eyes not leaving Merlin's face.

Merlin, not trusting himself to speak, nodded and, hands trembling, obeyed. What had been a neutral chore for the last decade was now sexually charged. He felt it in the space between their warm bodies, and knew Arthur could sense it too. Something was about to happen, that much was certain. The ache in Merlin's groin was quickly overwhelming his need to be cautious in this new territory.

Slowly Merlin removed each piece of Arthur's festive garb until his toned torso was fully exposed. Merlin had never let his eyes linger on the curves of the man's impressive physique; now the skin was like a magnet.

Arthur noticed him staring and smirked.

"Keep going Merlin," he murmured, voice raspy. He inched closer, the heat between them increasing.

"Sire, I don't - "

"That was an order, Merlin. Or do you wish to keep my wife waiting any longer?"

The King's words were loaded with double-meaning but Merlin stopped himself from assuming their true nature.

The warlock let his eyes drift down to Arthur's belt buckle. Never before had undressing his King – his friend – felt so incredibly erotic. He hesitated, finger hovering above the bulge at the other man's crotch. Arthur erased the hesitation by moving closer, meeting Merlin's hand, forcing it to cup his clothed erection. A small whimper escaped Merlin's throat and he became very warm. He lightly squeezed the hardness in his hand and Arthur leaned in closer, breathing deeply, eyes half closed.

Gwen had shuffled towards the end of the bed to watch more closely the first physically intimate moment between her King and their friend. Oh how many private nights she had spent imagining this, she could not count. Never could she have guessed that her husband experienced similar longing, as apparently did Merlin. It was incredibly arousing and she found herself wet with anticipation. She would have them both tonight, if her husband was willing.

Merlin swallowed, throat dry with nerves and need. Arthur stood only in his underwear, allowing Merlin's trembling fingers to map the planes of his muscles with ghostly caresses, leaving goose bumps in their wake. Arthur had been patient throughout the removal of his clothing, but that patience was quickly vanishing. He smirked and leaned further into Merlin, burying his warm face in the man's neck.

"Now do Gwen," he whispered into Merlin's ear.

"Yes, sire," Merlin muttered back, eager to follow all that Arthur's order had entailed. Heart pounding in his chest, he stepped close to the bed and silently confirmed with the Queen his permission to remove her gown. He obviously had less experience with such acts, but would not in a hundred years let that stop him from continuing. In her eyes he found his confirmation. Their eyes locked, then he moved to kneel on the bed behind her. Gently he slid the wide-necked gown off her shoulders, revealing more of her soft brown skin. With Arthur he had been painfully aroused and lustful, practicing great restraint against strong primal urges, but with Gwen everything was undeniably sensual and tender. There was no need to rush.

Arthur returned to the bed and covered Gwen's front with his body. He kissed her deeply while Merlin finished helping her out of her dress. Merlin folded everything into a neat pile, placing it on the nearest appropriate surface. Heart beating now in his throat, he returned to sit on the bed, uncertain where to be.

His lingering hesitancy vanished when Gwen turned around, grabbed his shoulders and stole his lips in a kiss. It was their second kiss, with their first being almost a decade before; this kiss was completely different and much more arousing. He moaned quietly and pressed up into her, feeling her shudder slightly as his erection pushed against her naked thigh. He was so close to her center, he could just – but no, of course Arthur had to be first.

"You have far too many clothes on," Gwen murmured against his lips.

"Y-yeah," Merlin whispered back. He nipped at her lips, capturing them, opening their mouths and plunging his tongue deep inside. He was kissing the mouth that Arthur had kissed. That thought made him moan again, made him kiss her harder, deeper. He was almost dizzy with arousal. He wanted to touch all of her, all of both of them.

Not breaking the kiss, Gwen's practiced hands began removing Merlin's belt buckle. Arthur moaned and shuffled so that he was behind Gwen. "I've never seen Merlin naked," he murmured in her ear. "Do it quickly, my love."

It was a flurry of activity and Merlin had no time to be embarrassed. The three of them were naked on the King's bed and it was heaven. Merlin didn't focus on why any of this had suddenly happened, he was just immensely glad that it  _was_.

* * *

Despite his nervousness, the guard smiled, confident that his plan to dilute King Arthur's power was successfully underway. He had been employed with the King's guard for five years now, and so had been around when their oh-so-noble Queen had betrayed Arthur's heart with Sir Lancelot. Rowan had been astonished at her sin, especially because it had occurred right after Arthur's proposal. Well they were all scum, as far as Rowan was concerned. Rowan had approved greatly of Arthur's decision to banish Guinevere from Camelot. When the disgusting girl had returned back to the Kingdom and back into Arthur's arms, the guard had been greatly dismayed. He did not wish to be ruled by a leader so weak-hearted. First he had chosen to marry a lowly serving girl, then had embraced her back after committing such a heart-wrenching sin? Of course, the majority of the people had just accepted it, trusting that in the end their young ruler knew what was best.

It was all unacceptable. Rowan did not want to leave the Kingdom, however. He had a good job, even if he had lost respect for his employer. The Kingdom was relatively prosperous, and he had a family to consider. So in order to sustain his lifestyle, he had to irreversibly tarnish the King's reputation among his people. Adultery still remained an effective means to do so, and Rowan planned to use it to his advantage. Manipulating Arthur into cheating on his unworthy wife with his servant, who was a man, and therefore much more potent a sin, would surely defile his image in the eyes of the people forever. The means of Rowan's manipulation was laughably easy; sneaking in to the wine stores had been simple, given his permissions as a court guard. Obtaining the aphrodisiac had also been stupidly easy. Combining the two and then slipping them to the King had merely required the involvement of the manservant himself. He needed only to figure out how to actually prove the deed had been done after the fact.

What Rowan had not accounted for was the fact that Arthur would include his wife in the proceedings. The unorthodox development could either destroy his plan or enhance it, there was no way of telling, not until the morning after. It was common knowledge amongst the knights and staff of the castle that their King had developed a strong bond with his servant, but Rowan had never cared to research just how strong that bond was. Either they would all regret it so deeply that the Monarchy would be too emotionally compromised to effectively rule, or the system would immediately collapse. He couldn't really see any other logical conclusion.

Rowan frowned and sighed, realizing his thoughts were leading him nowhere, and that impatience would not solve anything. Either way, this situation would end in a great scandal involving the King, the Queen and a male servant. Luckily, tonight Rowan had managed to schedule himself in for guarding the royal chambers, so he could be the first to expose the indignity in the morning.

He looked to his side and snorted in derision; his guard-mate had fallen asleep (he hadn't bothered to learn the man's name), slumped against the wall, drool falling down his chin. Rowan would not let himself be so foolish.

The guard just hoped he wouldn't have to hear any of the results of his manipulation… He didn't want nightmares.

* * *

Head arched back, brown curls strewn all about, Gwen moaned in pleasure as Arthur thrust in and out of her, grunting on each re-entrance. His hips moved furiously, fucking into Gwen with abandon. It was  _so good_  and Arthur never wanted to stop. His gut flipped in delicious pleasure as he heard echoing moans beside him. He turned his head to watch as Merlin jerked himself off, almost in time with Arthur's thrusts. Arthur's most lustful fantasies were coming true and it was better than he could have ever thought possible.

Gwen whimpered, watching the flying pace of Merlin's pale hand moving up and down his cock. She gained his eye contact and then arched her neck to him, silently begging him to suck the sensitive flesh.

Merlin groaned and swooped in to obey, pressing up against her sweaty side to suck, lick and bite at her coffee-coloured neck. He was lost in a sea of pleasure, drowning in the sexual energy. He could not fully let go, for he feared he could bring down the entire castle with his magic, but he could still enjoy himself.

"Mark me, Merlin, oh yes, mark me," Gwen panted, moaning loudly and moving her head more to the side, giving him more space. With one hand she threaded her hands through Merlin's dark short hair and with the other she gripped Arthur's pumping hips, her own bucking and twitching up into him, meeting his thrusts.

Arthur dipped his head down and sucked on the other side of Gwen's neck as he thrust into her, making her cry out in the extreme pleasure of it all. To have the attentions of both men was almost too much. It was too good. The pitch of her moans changed and she came hard, her orgasm shaking her body and making her give a silent cry. A second later Arthur followed, hips twitching as he emptied his seed into her welcoming heat. He collapsed on top of Gwen, sweaty and panting.

Merlin pressed in closer to the two of them, unable to stop himself from rutting his aching cock against Gwen's sweaty side.

"Don't worry Merlin, I'll have you next," Gwen said, surprising all three of them. She had to decency to blush and bow her head to her King. "If Arthur will grant it."

A breathy laugh escaped Arthur as he rose up off Gwen. He winced as he withdrew from her, cock still half-hard. "As long as I get a turn after," he said, smirking at them both.

Merlin could not  _believe_  what was about to happen. He decided that saying  _anything_  would break whatever spell or dream this was and therefore just nodded, biting his lip in anticipation. Gwen would be his first, but he had certainly gained enough experience back in Ealdor before arriving in Camelot. He knew what he was doing (probably). Well, even if he didn't, he felt like he couldn't mess this up, whatever it was. It was all much too perfect for that.

Still wet and open from Arthur, it was lusciously easy for Merlin to slip into Gwen all the way to his base. He could barely breathe from the heavenly sensation of his most intimate anatomy being squeezed by such a wet,  _clenching_  heat. His hips gave an involuntary twitch as he tried not to lose himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, fearful that his true nature would reveal itself in his passion. He felt Gwen's hands massage up and down his back, kneading the muscles in his buttocks, forcing his hips to  _move_.

"You feel so good, Merlin," Gwen gasped. She wrapped her legs around his hips, pushing him even further in.

Merlin's whole body shook with the warring need to thrust  _hard_  and the need to contain the magic violently swirling dangerously close to the surface. Gwen clenched around him and bucked her hips upward and he sobbed a moan, wanting to give in to the impossible pleasure.

"Don't fight it Merlin, let it go," Arthur moaned in his ear. He bit down on the ear lobe, making Merlin cry out in pleasure.

 _I can't, damn you_! Oh but he wanted to. Sweat dripped down his nose and he sobbed again, thrusting in to Gwen. He would not last much longer anyways.

"Fuck her," Arthur breathed into his ear. He followed his words with a lick, dipping the tip of his hot tongue in the shell of Merlin's ear. Tingles erupted in Merlin's body and he moaned, thrusting out of Gwen, slamming back in.

"Yes, yes, that's – that's it Merlin!" Gwen cried out, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled him close enough to kiss. "Harder!"

Merlin struggle to obey, not wanting to disappoint his Queen. Behind him he felt Arthur stroke his hips, his backside, felt him slide a finger along the crack of his ass. He whimpered as those wondering fingers played with his balls, following their movements in and out of his wife.

Despite himself, Merlin's eyes fluttered open and he gazed down into Gwen's wide eyes. He didn't care anymore if his eyes were gold or blue – he wanted to give himself all to her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and thrust in and out with abandon, mimicking what Arthur had done just moments before. "Oh God," Merlin moaned. The hand on his balls moved back to his ass and he felt the tip of a finger slide in. The pleasure was too powerful and his gut clenched and shook with the power of it. "G-Gwen, I – I'm going to - " He quickly pulled out, his cum splashing across Gwen's stomach, and somewhere in the background a vase shattered into a hundred pieces. Merlin collapsed on top of Gwen, trying to regain his breath, whole body shaking. None of them had noticed the broken vase, they were so caught up in each other.

Gwen pulled Merlin's head to her, pressing a kiss to his swollen lips. She was greatly anticipating what was to come next. "I'm a little sore now," she said against his skin, sliding her lips down to his neck, "so you should attend to my husband."

Merlin swallowed, and still panting slightly, withdrew from Gwen, both moaning at the feeling. He barely had time to recover before Arthur's hands gripped his hips, tugging him away from Gwen to kneel on hands and knees beside her. Merlin had an idea of what was to come next, and hoped to hell the other man knew what he was doing.

"Watching you two made me impatient," Arthur growled out. He bit down on Merlin's shoulder, making him cry out and somehow begin to harden. Arthur spread Merlin's thighs apart, widening his ass. "I'm going to fuck you Merlin," the blonde whispered against his skin. "And Gwen will watch."

"Y-yeah, okay," Merlin breathed. He was…. He could do this. And maybe for a long time he had secretly wanted it. He clenched the cotton sheets hard in his hands in anticipation. He heard shuffling behind him, Arthur murmuring something to Gwen, and then the twisting of a cap off a vial. Merlin was just about to ask what was happening when the words were ripped from his throat in a breathy moan; Arthur had slipped a warm finger  _inside_  of him. It was a foreign sensation, the weirdest Merlin had ever felt, but he trusted that the unwelcome pain would soon turn into pleasure. Groaning and dipping his head down to the bed, arching his back, Merlin pushed back into the finger. His body shuddered when Arthur slipped a second one in, stretching him farther.

"God Merlin, you're so fucking tight. I'm going to rip you apart," Arthur moaned. He moved back so that he was perpendicular to Merlin, hands gripping his hips.

To distract him from his discomfort, Gwen began pressing gently kisses to wherever she could reach on Merlin – his cheeks, nose, mouth when he turned to greet her, his shoulders and back.

Arthur slathered oil on both his cock and Merlin's stretched opening, preparing to push in. He started easy, impossibly aroused that he was actually fucking Merlin, the object of his forbidden fantasies. Even better was Gwen's participation. They both looked so beautiful.  _Mine._

Merlin choked when Arthur pushed the head of his erection in. He tried to breathe, tried not to move away from the intrusion.  _It will pass._ The pain was almost unbearable and he grit his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut against it.

"Shh, it's okay, shhh," Gwen whispered beside him. She stroked his hair and he felt a bit better for it.

Eventually Arthur was buried deep inside Merlin, to the hilt, and they both sobbed out a moan. Merlin tried to relax, to accept the man's girth. Gwen kissed away the tears on his cheeks. Arthur reached around and groped for Merlin's semi-hard length, gripping it. It helped mask the pain and Merlin, inhaling deeply, pushed back, signaling to Arthur that it was okay to move.

On the third thrust Arthur hit something inside Merlin that made his vision sparkle with little white dots, and tingles to cover his entire body, as if he'd hit his funny-bone somehow in a pleasurable way. It was instantly addictive and he slammed his hips backwards, needing that rush again. Arthur grunted and thrust in, again hitting that spot. Merlin moaned, breathing through his teeth, trying to control himself.

"M-Merlin, are you, are you okay?" Arthur panted. He stilled, though his body shook from the effort.

"Don't stop," Merlin gasped out. "Don't stop!"

How in the  _hell_  could this almost be  _better_  than fucking Gwen? Merlin didn't understand it and then decided he didn't give a damn.

Arthur gave his hardest thrust yet and Merlin cried out, eyes fluttering up and down in delirious pleasure. It was the best thing he'd ever felt, and it was  _Arthur_  and  _Oh God_. The bed creaked with the power of their thrusting and Merlin didn't give two shits if the guards outside heard because this was  _heaven_.

Beneath him, Gwen's mouth sought Merlin's and he moaned loudly, kissing her deeply, playing with her tongue. With one hand found her breast, squeezing and shaping it. She writhed beneath him, sighing and moaning with pleasure.

With Arthur repeatedly slamming his cock against that incredible spot inside of him, Gwen's tongue battling his and Arthur's strong hand jerking him off, Merlin was truly and utterly overwhelmed. His eyes opened wide as he shuddered and came the hardest he'd ever come in his life, and this time a table cracked open, the sound masked by Merlin's howl of pleasure.

It was honestly amazing (and a little bit troubling) that neither of the guards had come to investigate yet. Distantly Merlin wondered if they'd even bothered to stick around.

The three of them were all sore now, and quite dizzy, and easily submitted to sleep. Merlin was in the middle, facing his King, with Gwen wrapped around his back. Even though his head was swirling, he couldn't remember ever being more comfortable.

* * *

Gwen woke shortly after Arthur. It took her a minute to blink away the bleariness and to recognize where she was.  _Since when did Arthur sport black hair?_ And with whom she was lying.  _Wait…_

Gwen's heart filled with cold dread as she realized that she was lying  _naked_  in bed with  _Merlin_  of all people, and that she couldn't recall  _why_ , and that – Oh God, they hadn't…  _had they?_  She didn't remember! Arthur would surely murder her for committing adultery  _again_  – just as she was about to hyperventilate, a low voice came from across the room.

"Gwen, it's okay. Calm down," Arthur said quietly.

"Arthur!" Gwen gasped. Her eyes darted back to Merlin, who had buried his face into the pillow, still evidently asleep. "How is this okay?!" she whispered fiercely, gesturing to the very naked Merlin she had been spooning. She carefully moved off the bed, trying to not disturb their guest. She blushed and snatched a robe from Arthur's closet, extremely aware of his eyes following her every move.

She took a few deep breaths and, regarding her husband cautiously, sat opposite him in another chair.

"What happened?" She sniffed the air around her and grimaced. "Oh dear I smell and feel awful."

Arthur snorted, smiling a bit. "Same here. And I don't really remember, to be honest. I mean, I think we must have… you know…" he drifted off, face heating up. "I only remember a little bit."

They sat there for a moment in silence, merely looking at each other, trying to collect themselves. Suddenly the urge to laugh hysterically stole over Gwen, but she resisted, the corners of her lips merely twitching.

"What do you remember?" Gwen murmured.

He sighed and massaged a hand over his face, shaking his head. "Just the feast really. I guess we all had some wine, and then, well…" he drifted off, nodding to the bed, face red. He couldn't seem to voice what he vaguely remembered them all doing to each other. Still though, his wife deserved all of his honesty. "I think you might have, erm, had us both."

Gwen's eyes widened and she shrunk in her chair, in disbelief. "Oh dear…"

"Mmmthur," Merlin murmured. He rolled over, pulling the blankets with him, now facing Arthur and Gwen.

Gwen put a hand to her mouth to cover her smile. "That's kind of adorable."

Arthur pursed his lips, face full out blushing. "We should wake him up. Maybe he knows more. Like maybe why the hell my table and vase are in pieces."

"Oh Arthur, just let him sleep a bit more, he never gets -"

"MERLIN!"

Gwen sighed, rolling her eyes at her childish King. Having sex with her husband was certainly understandable, but had she really done  _that_  with Merlin? She couldn't recall exactly, but her husband's words had summoned the image of blue eyes above her, coupled with dark hair and pale skin.

Merlin shot up in bed, wide-eyed and hair tousled and -  _fine_ , Arthur could fully agree with his observant wife that Merlin was painfully adorable. He clearly belonged in Arthur's bed and  _shutupbraindon'tgothere_.

"Wh-what? Where am I?" Merlin looked down at himself and squeaked, pulling the covers close to his chest. "And WHY am I naked?!"

"Yes, we would all like answers. Come over here and join us," Gwen said gently, offering him a kind smile.

Merlin blushed as he regarded the couple, noticing their similar states of undress. "S-Sire, I don't, erm, I don't really know what happened…"

Arthur's face fell and he sighed. "Well that's really helpful Merlin, thanks."

Rowan sincerely wished he could erase his memory of what he'd heard a few hours before, but alas, he was not a sorcerer. He was envious of his guard-mate, who'd only woken a few minutes before, blissfully unaware of what transpired in the very chambers he'd been guarding. Rowan therefore  _hated_  the man. How the hell could anyone have slept through that?

As well, Rowan was now frustrated that he had not planned out how exactly to reveal their King's transgressions in the most effective way. He couldn't very well rush in and expose them all; without a good reason for barging in to the King's private rooms, he would surely lose his job.

Sir Leon approached from Rowan's left, stealing his chance to wallow in irritation. "Yes, what is it?"

"Is his lordship still in his chambers?" the knight asked, concern on his face.

 _Obviously._ "Yes, he had rather a late night," Rowan answered, hoping he would not have to explain the details.

The other guard cleared his throat and winked at Sir Leon, nodding towards the door with a smirk on his face.

"Ah, well, I just-"

"Oh, Sir Leon, have you seen Merlin about?"

"Good morning Gaius. No, I haven't. He's, um, not with you?"

The physician frowned and shook his head. "I've not seen him since he left the feast last night. Is he with Arthur then?"

Sir Leon cleared his throat awkwardly, shifting from side to side, glancing at the door. Rowan resisted the urge to roll his eyes and tried to decide how best to reveal their King's sins. The other guard merely looked confused, peering at the door as if it would explain the situation.

Arthur sighed and wiped a hand through is hair. "This is getting us nowhere. Either we all got  _very_  drunk last night, or someone slipped  _something_ in my wine goblet or possibly both. Merlin you should ask the keeper of the wine if he knows anything. Right now I've got a training session with the Knights."

"Erm, right, well, I guess we'll talk about this later then?" Merlin said cautiously. He moved off the bed to grab his clothes (which were all around the bed) and winced, sucking a breath through his teeth.

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked, concerned. She was dressed and was just passing a brush through her hair. Arthur had recommended she keep it around her neck for the day. Or the week (she couldn't borrow one of Merlin's horrid neckerchiefs). Privately the two men wondered who had given the marks to their Queen.

Merlin blushed and shook his head. "Uh, no, nothing you need to concern yourself with m'lady."

He winced again as he limped off the bed, struggling to put his pants on. He stood up and walked around to the front of the bed to grab his shirt and jacket.

"But you're limping," Gwen stated, worried.

Arthur suddenly felt a little bit ill and his eyes shot open wide. "Merlin…"

"What?" Merlin met his wide eyes and gasped, somehow clueing in. "Oh my God, did we…did you…?"

And suddenly Gwen didn't feel so horrible with herself. Now all she felt was a strong wish to remember  _everything_  from the night before.

Merlin felt himself beginning to shake and sat back down on the bed, covering his face with his hands. He swallowed past a lump in his throat. It was completely unfair that he felt the pain without any memories of the pleasure he'd surely shared with his King.

A sudden knocking at their chamber door roused all three of them from the heavy atmosphere.

"Sire, I really must ask you to rise. The hour grows late, and the Knights are eager to begin today's session."

"Thank you Sir Leon, I'll be a moment longer," Arthur croaked back (this was the last time he scheduled a training session the morning after a feast,  _honestly_ ). He stepped towards Merlin and placed a hand on his bare shoulder. "We  _will_  talk about this later, okay Merlin? I promise."

Merlin nodded, avoiding his gaze.

"You can also maybe provide some insight as to why two pieces of my furniture have been destroyed," Arthur added lightly as he hastily finished dressing.

Gwen suddenly felt a tugging in her mind, as if a memory was struggling to resurface but was lost a second later.

If possible, Merlin became even paler. "Y-yes, my lord. Hopefully I will."  _Oh God no, this is horrible. I hope no one remembers anything._

Arthur waited for Merlin to be fully dressed to open the chamber doors. He blinked in surprise at their small audience of Sir Leon, Gaius and his two guards.

The King exited first and was greeted with courteous nods from his men. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Sir Leon. Good morning Gaius, Rowan, Brian."

"M'lady," Sir Leon greeted to Gwen, half-bowing to her. She smiled back.

It was  _so awkward_.

No one outright said anything, but Merlin could  _tell_  that Rowan was just itching to say  _something_. Merlin narrowed his eyes at the man, silently daring him to voice his suspicions.

Gaius cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Merlin. "Come along then Merlin, we've got work to do."

"Remember what I asked you to do, Merlin. Be quick about it," Arthur called after him.

Merlin waved behind him, acknowledging the reminder.

Rowan was in disbelief. Was it every day that the King emerged from his  _private_  chambers with not only his wife but his manservant? Neither Sir Leon, Gaius, nor – what as it –  _Brian_  seemed at all affected! Clearly all three of them were trying to maintain a casual air, but, and perhaps it was because Rowan knew perfectly well what had really happened through those doors, they could not fool him. Was the act not sinful if committed in these so called private chambers?

Just as Sir Leon turned to follow the King, Rowan stopped him.

"Ah, Sir Leon, a word please," he said.

The knight turned reluctantly, nodding for him to speak. "What is it?"

"Do you not think it, ah,  _odd_  that his lordship spent the night with his wife  _and_  his manservant?"

Sir Leon glanced back at Arthur, who had stopped to wait for him a few paces away and out of ear-shot.

"I should think you would respect our King's privacy and not question what he does with it," Sir Leon responded as politely as he could.  _Still though, the bloke does have a point._ If it had just been a pair of them, regardless of the combination, Leon wouldn't have given it a second thought. But all three together? He studied Arthur, who raised a blonde eyebrow at his scrutiny. Leon thought the man looked a bit awkward, standing there with his arms crossed. Merlin and Gwen had both been in a hurry to leave his company, it seemed.

Rowan had the decency to look a bit off-put (or was that irritation?). "Ah, you are right of course. How silly of me to question the pureness of our King and Queen's love for each other."

Sir Leon glared at the guard, not liking one bit where this conversation was heading. "You will hold your tongue on such private matters, guard. Leave off, then." Leon took his leave, returning to his King's side.

"What did he want then?" Arthur asked as they pressed on.

"Nothing really," he replied, though with hesitancy in his voice.

Arthur raised both eyebrows at him, clearly meaning for him to continue. "Leon…"

"Only, and forgive me my lord, but he was merely curious as to why both Merlin and Gwen had stayed the night in your private chambers."

Arthur could not keep the heat from his face. He coughed awkwardly into his hand. "Yes, well, that is a private matter indeed. Nothing to concern yourself with."

The knight met the King's eyes for a second, trying to decide how far he could breech such a subject. "Forgive me your grace, but should we expect this to be the new routine?" The knight could appreciate how close the King was to his servant, but had they taken that bond to whole new levels the night previous?

"You are bold indeed," Arthur said after making sure his face wouldn't spontaneously combust. He wasn't sure why he wasn't denying anything to his knight – such promiscuous behaviour would surely spread throughout Camelot, becoming the new precedent. Arthur was very confused at the moment, not in his right mind, still trying to figure out exactly what had happened the night before. "Where Merlin spends the night is none of your concern. I trust you will remember that."

Leon bowed his head, ignoring how vague an answer that was. "Of course, your grace. Forgive me." Leon was never one for gossip, and that should certainly not change now. He was loyal to his King and as long as he  _did_  love and support his Queen, then the monarchy would not crumble. Merlin was a good man, Leon and the rest of the knights could see that, and whatever his connection was to the King at any time, it would prove a positive contribution to the overall health of the kingdom.

* * *

"Merlin, will you please tell me why you're limping?" Gaius asked again, annoyed that his ward was ignoring him. Even though he was an old man, Gaius had his suspicions about why Merlin had emerged from the royal chambers, and the cause of his limp, but Gaius could scarcely believe his guess. It was either that Merlin had revealed his magic, or that the three of them had… well. He wanted to hear the story from Merlin, in any case.

They were back in his chambers, sorting through some herbs, and already Merlin had made enough mistakes for it to be obvious that his mind was not all in one place. He was paler than usual (and that was saying something), twitchy, distracted and, for some reason, reluctant to sit down. "What happened after the feast? I assumed that when you did not return to your room that you were with Arthur."

Merlin didn't reply and Gaius sighed in frustration. The boy was in one of his  _moods_. When he had either done something against Gaius's advice, discovered something horrible, made a magical mistake, or all of the above, the warlock would brood in silence. Gaius would then have to either keep prodding until the boy broke is vow of moody silence or until he guessed the cause.

"Did something happen with Arthur and Guinevere last night?"

From the way Merlin twitched Gaius could tell he was getting closer.

Merlin was a mess, suffice it to say. He was both struggling to remember his apparent intimacy with the King and his wife, but embarrassed and scared to know what had happened. Flashes of brown skin, blonde hair, pink lips were slowly coming back to him, and Merlin blushed furiously with each vague image. He now knew without a doubt that all three of them had engaged in sex with each other, and they had all thoroughly enjoyed it. That instinct put Merlin's heart at ease. He could now remember being above Gwen, and – his stomach churned – thrusting in and out of her. But where had Arthur been? Surely… It wasn't enough information…

Arthur's ironwood table had broken clean in half, and a very old vase had exploded. Merlin hadn't lost control his magic so severely since his childhood, when he'd had temper tantrums. Every time Merlin had indulged his sexual urges in private he had retained full control, his orgasm had never been very intense. But now there was a throbbing pain in his backside and two pieces of broken furniture. He didn't know if Arthur and Gwen had by now remembered anything, or if they suspected magic, or if they even wanted to repeat the entire experience. He didn't know if he was strong enough to face Arthur and Gwen and go back to how things were.

"Merlin, please. I want to understand why things have suddenly changed," Gaius said.

Merlin's shoulders slumped and he sighed. He put down the little herb pile he had been tying up. He met the eyes of his caring old mentor, deciding how much he could tell.

"I'm, I'm not really sure what all happened, or even how it happened," he answered truthfully, embarrassed to hear a tremble in his voice. He cleared his throat and collected himself. "But I think – well no, I know that we all…"

Gaius waited patiently, nodding Merlin on.

The warlock swallowed and winced, uncomfortable with it all. "I think we might have all slept together." There, he'd said it. As soon as the words had tumbled shakily from his mouth he knew they were absolutely true. It hadn't been a dream, and the vague recollections now infiltrating his mind were reflections of the true reality of last night. "And," he took a deep breath in, "During I might have, er, broken a vase. And Arthur's table."

"His  _ironwood_ table? Surely with magic then? Oh Merlin…" Gaius whispered. He wasn't sure how to react to anything his ward had just said, only that, well, he wasn't  _really_  surprised that this had happened. As far as he was concerned, his ward and their King had been dancing around each other since the day they'd met. It was just fortunate that their Queen was so close to Merlin as well. So he chose to focus on the more serious problem of Merlin's accidental sorcery.

Merlin nodded and furrowed his eyebrows, tilting his head at his mentor. "Wait, you, you're not surprised? About what I apparently did with them?"

Gaius's eyebrows rose. "No, truly I'm not. But why say 'apparently'? Do you not remember it all?"

Merlin shook his head and sighed, sitting down, then winced and hissed a breath through his teeth, cursing himself. "Damnit Arthur," he mumbled.

_Too much information, Merlin!_

"No, none of us do. I'm getting flashes of details, but nothing concrete. I don't know if Arthur or Gwen saw me accidentally using magic. But why don't we remember everything? We weren't that drunk. I don't think."

"Hm," Gaius muttered. "Did you check the King's wine before giving it to him?"

"Yes, but only for poisons. You know, what that spell we developed. Maybe it was a love potion?"

"Or a lust potion… I don't think any of you needed any help with the love part," Gaius said, smiling at his ward. Merlin returned a shaky smile.

"And you got it from the stores yourself?"

Merlin's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered. "No! I got it from Rowan, the guard! Damn that man, I knew he was up to something."

Gaius raised an eyebrow at him, pursing his lips.

Merlin smiled back sheepishly. "Well, I didn't  _know_ , obviously, but I've suspected for a while now that he's not the most loyal of men. Arthur did ask me this morning to go inquire about the wine to the store master. Do you need me, or can I go now?"

Gaius waved him off, shaking his head. "This is more important. Go, I'll be fine here."

* * *

None of it made too much sense, so on his travels to the wine cellar, Merlin mentally reviewed what he knew for certain: first, he had had sex with the King and his wife, and it had definitely been consensual (his heart leapt at that knowledge); second, he had used magic in front of them and wasn't sure if they had noticed; and third, somehow Rowan was involved, and Merlin both hated him for it and wanted to thank him. The man might have spiked their private wine with some sort of lust potion that had kick-started a new level of physical intimacy between him and the royal couple. That part, Merlin could accept. His issue was the fact that clearly there had been another level, another ingredient perhaps, to the addition to the wine that prevented full recollection of said events. Merlin desperately wanted to know all the details. Perhaps without Rowan's involvement he would never had lost all inhibitions blocking his desire for the King. But even if he had eventually been involved romantically with the royal couple, he would have made sure they all remembered it. Now their first time together was lost in the fuzzy mental maze of their minds and Merlin was  _not_  pleased by it. What the hell had been Rowan's goal, anyways?  _Why_  had he done this to them?

Merlin stopped in the middle of the corridor. Now that he thought about it, said guard had seemingly been anxiously awaiting their emergence from the royal chambers. Maybe… The warlock gasped, the answer dawning on him. Of course Rowan meant to tarnish the King's reputation by spreading news to the people of what he'd done! But surely, because the Queen had been involved in the whole thing, the issue would be diluted? Merlin could remember how very angry Arthur had been upon discovering Gwen's unfaithfulness, and how horrible she had felt in the aftermath. Their love and been strong though in the face of such scandal, and thus was their marriage. Maybe some in the kingdom felt bitter about Gwen's betrayal and Arthur's decision to have accepted her back so easily?

Merlin dared to smile. Still though, he thought, even if Gwen  _hadn't_  been a participant of last night's escapades, had it only been Arthur and him in private, Merlin trusted that she would not have been devastated. He knew in his heart that the three of them were too close for that. The warlock smirked. The guard was most likely frustrated as anything; his plan to expose Arthur as a sinful adulterer against his wife would never work. There was too much love between the three of them; if anything, now the monarchy would be even stronger.

The smile melted off Merlin's face and his chest tightened as he remembered the one back-firing of this whole thing: his magic. There was no way Arthur would accept a simple answer to why his ironwood table had split clean in half. Merlin's breath came out in a sob and he slumped against the marble wall, hands covering his face. He would have to reveal his magic. He sincerely hoped the thick blanket of love between them would suffocate the shock of the confession.

Feeling a bit numb, Merlin proceeded with his task and reached the wine cellar in the basement. He wasn't at all surprised when Sir Rowan's direct involvement was confirmed. Nodding and plastering on a fake smile, the warlock left, satisfied that at least now Arthur would have to sack Rowan for the man's ill intentions. Merlin didn't know if he could ever look the knight in the face again without "accidentally" losing control of his magic. He wasn't ready to expose his true nature to his best friend, but if Merlin was honest with himself, he could accept that it had to have happened at some point. He'd just wanted it to come at his own terms, and now that had been stolen away. Granted, the circumstances that had catalyzed the confession were wonderful, but only if they could be repeated in the future. Merlin's heart would break if he was banished from the kingdom.

Arthur had dismissed Knight almost immediately after learning the truth from Merlin. With a malicious smile Rowan had promised to spread all across the country the sins committed by the monarchy, but Arthur had merely shrugged, claiming it did not matter. Rowan had left the castle, fuming and dissatisfied.

* * *

Dinner that evening was extremely tense. Merlin continued his serving duties, pouring glasses of wine to his King and Queen, trying not to look either of them in the eye, trying not to let his mind wander off to less than appropriate places. Some of the other knights were also at the table – Sir Gwaine, Sir Leon and Sir Percival among them. Arthur kept the three knights occupied with conversation – something about battle strategies, or training – Merlin didn't really pay attention. At one point Merlin locked eyes with Gwen and they both blushed, looking away immediately. The warlock was torn between his need to flee the entire situation and the need to drag the royal couple back to their chambers. The meal seemed to last an eternity before finally, Merlin was asked to clear the table.

Afterwards, Gwaine corners Merlin in the corridors, with Leon standing silently beside him, quite bluntly demanding to know if there is sustenance to the rumors Rowan has left in the wake of his absence. Merlin blushes and stammers, trying to hide the truth in it but fails miserably. The now recovered memories of the night before are too fresh and they swim behind Merlin's vision, making his body feel heated. But Gwaine just smirks at him, slapping his friend on the shoulder, and even Sir Leon wears a small smile for him. It seems that everyone accepts the unique relationship their friend has with the royal couple. Merlin tries to return their smiles, feeling a mixed relief; he sincerely hopes their open attitudes will extend into the realm of sorcery, because soon everyone in the kingdom will know that Camelot had been secretly harbouring the most powerful sorcerer in the land.

Mixed in with the sea of nerves writhing in his belly there was a hint of curiousity which, Merlin hoped, would be fulfilled back in Arthur's chambers. All throughout their supremely awkward dinner Merlin couldn't help but notice the significant glances shared between the King and Queen. The warlock wished for a moment that he could read minds, and then that got him thinking about his magic, which then sent his mind into a frenzied turmoil. For the second night in a row he was a bundle of confused nerves when he stepped into the King's chambers. Truthfully Merlin had been planning on confessing his magic eventually (really, he had), but had decided to wait until either Arthur or Gwen made any mention of it. He wasn't really expecting a repeat of the previous night's activities (and ignored the painful stab his heart experienced at that assumption), and therefore there would be no more slip ups. Either way Merlin found himself quite miserable; he felt cowardly, not revealing his true nature to his best friend after so many years, but if he did expose his magic, there would surely be no chance of repeating any intimacy with the man or his wife.

Gwen entered behind Merlin and leaned against the foot of the bed, peering with barely concealed concern at Merlin. Arthur made sure the doors were securely closed before turning to face them.

"Well, I think we can all agree that that was an… interesting day," Arthur began, sounding like he was choosing his words carefully.

Merlin could glean nothing from the tone of his King's speech. His nerves increased. Surely they were all gathered to discuss the broken table? He went to stand near the side the bed closest to the table in question.

The warlock watched with wide eyes, heart pounding in his throat (surely they could both hear the frantic beating of it in his chest?) as Arthur slowly circled towards the destroyed piece of furniture. Someone had come in earlier to tidy up the stacks of papers and ink that had been sacrificed, leaving only the two slabs of polished ironwood. Two heavy, perfectly broken pieces of wreckage. Arthur looked down at the table thoughtfully and tapped one half of it lightly with two fingers, casually inspecting the damage. His eyes flashed up to Merlin, who flinched despite himself, averting his eyes.

"I'm sure it can be mended," Gwen suggested lightly, nodding towards the table.

Arthur hummed in agreement. "Indeed. It was broken so perfectly, after all. And one must of course wonder how. Merlin, do you know?"

"I, I can't say that I do, sire," he muttered, feeling horrible. The casual way Arthur and Gwen were handling all of this was torture on the warlock. He would have preferred shouting, accusations of Merlin's betrayal, anything but this calm, slightly strained manner.

"Hm. Well, let me ask you another question, and maybe this one you'll answer truthfully." Arthur walked up to Merlin, standing close enough to peer into the depths of his blue eyes.

Merlin's heart beat in his throat now. Despite his stress at the situation he could feel himself getting aroused. He almost moaned aloud in shame.

"Do you remember everything that occurred between us last night?" Arthur asked, his voice low.

And indeed, throughout the day, Merlin  _had_  regained full, vivid memory of the night before. It had been absolute torture, trying to supress his reactions to such vibrant images.

Not trusting his voice, Merlin simply nodded. Behind him he heard Gwen shuffle closer, rounding the wooden banister of the bed. Merlin had to swallow down the mild feeling of being cornered like prey.

"And, do you, sire?" Merlin blurted out. He had to know. "Do you remember all of it?"

Arthur's eyes shot to his wife's, who was now leaning on Merlin's shoulder. After a beat he focused again on his servant, who looked like a deer caught by the arrow. Distantly Arthur felt a bit guilty for causing his friend so much anxiety, but he felt it was fair pay back. The man he thought he'd known had kept from him his true nature for so many years. Arthur was no longer angry or upset with the man; hell he was even a bit impressed if he could let himself admit it. The initial shock of the realization had been dimmed now by the urge to now get Merlin to expose himself. And, not that he wanted anything else in his room to break, Arthur and Gwen had agreed that they both knew the perfect way to reveal Merlin's secret. Easing such a stressful confession with intense pleasure would certainly do only good.

"Oh yes, we both do, I dare say," Arthur murmured. He inched a bit closer, eyes darting down to Merlin's full lips. "Don't we, Gwen?"

Gwen smiled and rested her head on Merlin's shoulder, her thick brown curls tickling Merlin's cheek.

Merlin shuddered and resisted simultaneous urges to bolt from the room, press his face into the warm hair next to his face, and kiss Arthur. The golden-haired man stepped even closer and suddenly Merlin's breath failed.

"D-don't…" Merlin shied away, unintentionally leaning down into Gwen. "I… I can't," he whispered. But  _oh_  how he wanted to. He neither wanted to refuse his two friends nor did he wish to condemn himself, much less break another valuable piece of furniture in the royal chambers. His heart was torn and everything was a little bit overwhelming.

Arthur gripped Merlin's biceps, crinkling the brown jacket in his hands, staring into his eyes as he backed Merlin up into the bed. "Yes you can. And you will," Arthur growled into his neck. He wanted this too much, didn't really care about Merlin's magic at the moment - he just wanted to  _be_  with him again. Suffering through the slowly resurfacing memories of the night before had been mental agony for Arthur, and now he full intended to relieve that stress. Lying directly on top of the other man how Arthur felt how aroused Merlin was. He smirked and felt a little bit better about the whole situation. "And you want to."

 _Yes, yes I want to,_ Merlin thought desperately,  _but I don't want to break anything else!_   _Because then you'll see and I can't bear that yet…_ The emotions and sensations were much too raw for any kind of restraint, restraint that was very much needed if this was to continue. Surely, without actually having admitted anything out loud, Arthur and Gwen already knew Merlin's secret, but  _seeing_  magic was drastically different from merely  _knowing_  about it.

It was no good. Arthur was keen to add another chapter to the previous night's story, and Gwen was right there with him. Merlin felt a bit like they were ganging up on him, and it was still a bit overwhelming, but he did not feel threatened. And this time they all had much clearer heads, free of drink and (curse Rowan) any other chemical catalysts. Even though Merlin needed to resist, his heart would not let him, and neither would his body. At least the pleasure might reduce the shock of it all.

Merlin whimpered as Arthur's lips landed on his own, hot and demanding entrance. At once he accepted, unable to deny his King anything. The Queen found Merlin's boots and began tugging them off. Instantly he felt a little guilty; Arthur had distracted him so well from Gwen's presence. Arthur moved to straddle Merlin's hips, his back slouched as he leaned farther into their kiss, giving space behind him for Gwen to work. She found it difficult to not simply stare and watch their passion. She felt no jealousy or bitterness; she of all people could understand how the heart could stretch for two people. She knew Arthur loved Merlin and always had. The love she shared with Arthur was different in nature but no less potent. For how long her husband had wanted to express that love of Merlin she did not know, but she was glad that time had finally come.

The time had also come for Merlin's true nature to be shown to them. She had had her suspicions, long ago, that the man was always hiding  _something_. Above all she knew, and Arthur agreed with her whole-heartedly on this, was that Merlin had  _always_  been there for Camelot. It was time to show him a little gratitude for all the things he had most certainly done behind the scenes of fearsome battles.

"Do you want me to fuck you again, Merlin?" Arthur nipped at the man's ear lobe, sucking on the sensitive flesh. He wanted to make his friend go crazy with pleasure, wanted to validate for himself what Gwen and he had already deduced; that Merlin had secretly been a sorcerer this entire time was still a little too unbelievable. He wanted to see those blue eyes flash golden, wanted to reduce this being of magic to a quivering, moaning hot mess, because then somehow it would make all of this seem more relatable.

Merlin whimpered against Arthur's searching lips, submitting to their carnal promise. At his feet he could feel the soft searching caresses of Gwen's hands, skating underneath his pants. Unconsciously he spread his legs, letting Arthur settle heavily between them. Arthur rolled their hips together and Merlin panted through his nose, eyes fluttering shut as pleasure melted away his reservations. His heart felt lighter as he accepted what was happening, and what was about to happen.

"Gwen, my love, hand me the lotion," Arthur broke away from the heated kiss, his lips swollen.

Merlin tried to catch his breath, licking his dry lips. He was too hot – panting with anticipation he shrugged off his coat, tore off his neckerchief and shoved his pants down. His ass was still a bit sore from the previous night but he didn't care – Arthur was about to be inside him again, and Merlin knew how good it would feel.  _If I just keep my eyes closed, they won't see…_

"Relax now," someone murmured against his lips.

He felt a hot, slick finger probing at his throbbing entrance. He winced and his hips involuntarily twitched away from the discomfort. "Ah…"

"Gwen," Arthur murmured.

Cool lips descended upon his and he opened his mouth, letting her tongue in to writhe around his. A moan escaped his throat, low and erotic, the sound sending heat pooling with the wetness in Gwen's groin. She pressed her body against Merlin's side, kissing the sorcerer deeply as her husband worked him open. She longed for either man to fill her but knew she could be patient. This was all about Merlin right now. They needed him to unravel and show that he could trust them both, and appreciate that trust worked both ways. Judging by the relative intensity of Merlin's two orgasms the night before, Gwen knew that it would have to be Arthur that unraveled the other man.

Hips twitching and bucking restlessly, Merlin threw his head back and moaned as Arthur's two strong fingers stretched him, thrusting and twisting as deep as they could go. His erection glazed his stomach, aching and smearing his naked skin and he was much too aroused to be embarrassed.

"A-Arthur, please," Merlin panted, his voice scratchy from moaning.

"He's ready Arthur, take him," Guinevere urged.

Arthur didn't need to be told again. Almost clumsy with haste he pushed his pants down to bunch behind his knees. One hand rested on Merlin's flushed hip, the other guiding his cock to press at Merlin's stretched and slick entrance. He paused, frowning; Merlin's eyes remained shut.

"Look at your King as he fucks you, Merlin," he growled. He slowly pushed forward and groaned at the incredibly tight heat that engulfed the sensitive head of his cock.

Just the opposite, Merlin squeezed his eyes shut tighter, shaking his head minutely. "C-can't," he grunted. He winced and gasped through the intense pain of Arthur pushing into his sore ass. He turned into the cool hand stroking his face, lips seeking Gwen's offered kiss.

Strong warm hands grabbed his face, pulling it away from Gwen. Arthur's kiss was intense, perhaps to distract Merlin from fully entering him. Any guilt at Arthur felt at causing Merlin pain was washed away in the extreme pleasure he felt, coupled with achieving the desired result of Merlin's eyes shooting open in a flash of gold, magic swirling in the depths.

"Ah! Oh God," Merlin moaned, arching his chest up. Beside him Gwen shifted restlessly, right hand sneaking under her skirts to play in her wetness.

The frightening pain melted away into that tingling, full-body pleasure Merlin had experienced the night before. Arthur pounded into him, changing the angle of his thrusts until he hit  _that_  spot, losing himself in the pleasure. Merlin's hands gripped at the other man's sweaty shoulders, meeting him thrust for thrust, taking him a little bit deeper each time. He was on the brink of losing control over the magic swelling up inside of his gut, shallow breaths hissing through clenched teeth. He forced himself to stop moving with Arthur, to bring himself down from the brink of orgasm.

"W-wait, stop, please," Merlin panted.

"Shhh," Gwen whispered, stroking his sweaty forehead. She breathed a kiss into his ear, nibbling at the sensitive earlobe, then pressing open-mouthed kisses to his flushed neck. "It's okay, Merlin."

Merlin moaned and covered his face, shaking his head back and forth. Arthur stilled above him, giving him a moment.

"Merlin, show me, show us." Arthur pried away Merlin's hands and pressed a gentle kiss to each of his closed eyelids.

Merlin exhaled a shaky breath and slowly opened his eyes, peering into the breath-taking blues hovering above him. "I…" His words choked off into a moan as Arthur renewed his thrusts with vigour. "I don't know what will break this time," he admitted finally.

A bubble of laughter tumbled past Arthur's lips and he looked at Merlin with such an endearing expression that Merlin braved a smile. "I don't give a  _damn_  what breaks. You – you can destroy this whole room if you want, just," he panted, giving a particularly hard thrust, which had Merlin arching into him, "just let me  _see_  it!"

"Yes, alright, yes," Merlin moaned, despite himself. For the first time in his life he consciously let go of all barriers holding his true self back. One of his hands searched for one of Gwen's and he gripped it hard, his other hand gripping Arthur's left shoulder.

Usually so calm in his blood, Merlin could feel his magic boiling, swirling inside of him, and he distantly realized that sexual activities could perhaps be the secret to unlocking his full potential. Nothing had ever come close to stirring his very being so powerfully. The energy coiled to the surface and raised swaths of goose flesh on his skin. The very air around them crackled and shifted, causing the hairs at the back of his sweat neck to stand erect.

Arthur lost himself in the golden flames of Merlin's eyes as he pumped and bucked into him. He felt the hand at his shoulder dig in, blunt fingernails clawing at the flushed skin as the sorcerer beneath him finally, beautifullylost control.

Chaos visited the room – the bed curtains caught fire, providing a dramatic foreground to every single loose object in the room jumping out of place to shudder in the air.

Gwen leapt off of the bed, her arousal instantly diminished in the urgency of grabbing the nearest water jug and dousing the flames licking towards the bed. Merlin and Arthur had collapsed, trying to catch their breath. Merlin inhaled large gulps of air, realizing his mistake a second after smoke entered his lungs and a coughing fit caught him.

"Oh God, I – I'm sorry!" Merlin cried out, shoving Arthur off of him, shooting panicked eyes at the smoking curtains. Several loud bangs echoed throughout the room as the hovering objects crashed back to the floor. Merlin collapsed back in to the bed and groaned, covering his face in embarrassment.

A loud banging came from the wooden doors. "Sire, are you all right? We heard loud noises and smell smoke coming from your chambers! Sire!"

"Yes, we're fine thank you, Sir Leon!" Gwen called back, keeping her voice even.

"But, the smoke M'Lady?"

"Nothing to worry about, Sir Leon, Merlin just knocked over a candle. You know how clumsy he is," Arthur called out.

A blush invaded Merlin's face and Gwen pursed her lips at her husband. Revealing that Merlin was in the room with the King and Queen after the evening meal, during their assumed private time as husband and wife, certainly gave away the true nature of their relationship and intentions with the servant.

"Sir Leon is loyal to me first, before the lure of gossip," Arthur murmured to them both. He sat up on the bed and pushed a hand through his damp hair.

"Very well Sire," they heard Sir Leon mumble through the door.

Arthur grinned and wrapped his arms around his wife's waist, pulling her onto his lap. She barked out a laugh and met his lips. "We've not attended you yet, my love."

Merlin shot up in the bed, eyebrows furrowed and mouth agape. "Wait, what? What about –" he swept his arm in a circle, gesturing to the mess he'd made of the room, "what about me?"

"Well I already saw to you, didn't I?" Arthur winked at him. "Greedy, isn't he, Gwen?"

"Arthur," Gwen chastised.

Arthur sighed, as if quelling Merlin's fears was such a light thing. He turned to Merlin and looked him in the eyes, which were back to their regular ocean blue, he noted. "Look, Merlin, even  _I_ am not so blind as to realize how my table and vase were shattered last night, and Gwen confessed to having seen a flash of gold in your eyes during the height of your pleasure last night."

Merlin blushed and ducked his head, chewing at his lip.

Arthur pressed on. "Yesterday when we both realized that you've been hiding what you really are – or rather  _who_  you are – from us for all these years I was pissed at first."

"And I was  _not_ , just so you know Merlin," Gwen cut in, giving her friend a warm smile. "I think I've always had a suspicion, really. Arthur's just too slow."

The King rolled his eyes. "Yes yes, you're intuition and intelligence knows no bounds, my dear." Merlin almost laughed at how rehearsed those words sounded. "But seriously Merlin, after recovering from the shock of having been  _lied_  to for over a decade by my closest friend – oh don't give me that look, I can be sentimental just like everyone else – I admit I am now just impressed that you've managed to keep your secret so well contained. It must've been difficult."

Merlin snorted. "Understatement of your life, that one." He looked at them both in disbelief, intense relief and shaky happiness. "So this is really… okay? Me?" He'd never imagined the confession to be accompanied by so few words, but then the whole form of the confession had not been anticipated.

Gwen smiled and crawled onto the bed to pull Merlin into an embrace, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Of course," she answered, leaving no room for argument.

"There will be more time later for your full story," Arthur said, looking at Merlin sternly. "For now just know that we trust you."

Merlin beamed at them, his eyes glistening, and embraced them both tightly against his chest.

"Thank you," he whispered, pressing a kiss onto each of their heads.

"And I'm alright for now my love," Gwen said, smiling into Merlin's chest. "I really think we should at least attempt to clean up the room, first, if anything."

"Ah, let me…" Merlin cleared his throat, nervous and thrilled to finally be able to freely do magic in front of Arthur and Gwen. With a sweep of his hands and a few whispered words, every object was back in place, the curtains and air were freed of smoke, and with an extremely loud crack, the table and vase were repaired.

Arthur gasped and sat upright, scanning his now perfect chambers. He made a low whistling sound, impressed.

"Merlin! That was incredible!"

Merlin grinned and shrugged, sheepish.

"And all those times I made you clean things with your hands, did you actually? Or did you just use magic?"

"Sometimes, yeah. I actually liked using my hands for some things. Magically cleaning everything all the time isn't the same."

And as Gwen and Arthur talked over Merlin, commenting on various aspects of Merlin's abilities, and what he could do with it, and what he could try, guessing at how powerful he really was, Merlin let it all wash over him like a warm breeze. It really  _was_  incredible, he mused happily, how much his life had changed in the last two days. There was so much the warlock could now share with the two most important people in his life, and an infinite amount they could all three share together.

* * *

~Fin~

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